Urbana09

Have you ever wanted to be at two places at one time? Of course you have. We all have. Tonight I am delighted to be here in Japan with my husband. Simultaneously I would also love to be with my daughter at that huge missions conference called Urbana09. I was just at the website (http://www.urbana09.org/tracks.major.global_issues.cfm) and read her name as a presenter of the seminar called "Sign Language Bible Translation." How I would love to be sitting in that room watching her sign what's on her heart.

As I reflected on Urbana09 I thought, "What could be more thrilling than being in a crowd of 16,000 people talking about missions?" The answer to my question came very quickly..."Actually doing it."

This December has been rich in things that matter. Y. has been doing Bible studies with me now for several years. She shared with her mother what she learned and her mother accepted Christ. A few weeks ago Y.'s mother was praying that her husband would be interested in attending church. The next morning at breakfast he announced he would like to go to church with her. He hasn't been to church in 50 years!

Another friend came for dinner last night. Her husband died just over a year ago leaving her to raise her two kids alone. She embroidered a beautiful cloth for us with the word "Emmanuel" in gold thread saying, "God has been with us."

Tuesday as Russ was having his therapy, I was chatting with his therapist. Mr. E. mentioned how loving Russ is to me. I said it was because Russ loves me according to the Bible's definition of love found in I Corinthians 13:4-7. I happened to be sitting next to a Japanese Bible so read the verses to him. He was so touched that he gladly accepted our gift of a New Testament and went home saying he wanted to memorize those verses as Russ had.

We are enjoying listening to the main sessions of Urbana09 on the internet. The theme is about Jesus coming to earth to live as a man and the opportunities we have to move into communities and live out Christ before those around us. Russ and I are such ordinary people, yet God has asked us to come to Japan and then He asked us to stay even when circumstances seemed less than ideal. We'll never be a Hudson Taylor or a Gladys Aylward. But we can be who we are. I'm looking forward to what God will do in 2010!

Flossie
www.urbana09.org

The Little Things

Sometimes we think we have to do big things to really count for something. I think God cares that we respond to His quiet promptings about little things too. At least I know for me, it's easier to obey God in bigger things when I practice with His little requests.

Last Sunday I started to leave church, but felt led to go back and give my young Ugandan friend a hug. She wrote me an email that evening saying she was lonely and prayed that God would send someone to hug her that day.

Last Tuesday at the last minute I lent a book to a young man because he had forgotten his reading material. I only had a minute to choose a book so prayed and grabbed the book entitled Sundays with Scottie. Later when I asked if the book had appealed to him he clutched the book to his bosom and told how it touched him deeply and could he please borrow it longer.

With no kids coming home this Christmas and no big events in our home planned this month, I was tempted not to bother with Christmas decorations this year. My sister-in-law encouraged me to put them up for Jesus and reminded me of the therapists and others that come to our home. I'm so glad I put them up. My various little Nativity sets have brought me many smiles and provided opportunities to share...opportunities I may have missed if I have been too focused on just the big things.

Merry Christmas!
Flossie

Relaxing Thanksgiving

Have you ever been in charge of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner? Would you call it relaxing? While that isn't my usual adjective to describe the responsibility, it truly reflected Thanksgiving this year.

It all started when I began asking guests to join us for the special day. It got to be very funny. While a few people accepted our invitation, I invited 20 people who declined since they had other plans. The thought that came to my mind was,"God must not want me to work too hard for the meal."

I carefully ordered a frozen turkey ahead of time since they are not readily available here in Japan. Then a whole cooked turkey became available so that I didn't even have to bake the one I bought. Again I thought, "God must not want me to work too hard this Thanksgiving."

Thanksgiving morning it all became clear. Our neighbor Jennifer is a young teacher at Christian Academy and quite new to Japan. Thursday morning before I began dinner preparations, I received a phonecall saying Jen injured her foot. Since I speak Japanese and have a car, I took her to the hospital where we learned she has a bone fracture. We arrived home at 1:15 and my guests arrived at 2:00. Fortunately I had made the pies the night before. However, I had 45 minutes to pull together the rest of the dinner.

God has been speaking to me about "having a Mary heart in a Martha world." Somehow the impossibility of pulling off a whole feast together that quickly took away my fretfulness. We ended up with seven people at our table and they all made their helpful contributions so I really didn't have that much to do. The meal came together easily and we had great fellowship. My brother Tim even did the dishes.

Russ had thoughtfully picked out verses for us to read as we shared blessings of the past year. I thank God for a relaxing Thanksgiving.

Flossie